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Trembling

Hi all,

I've recently been having some problems in meditation, where I feel kind of trembly. Not like I'm shivering or shaking all over. It's like the little hand tremors people get sometimes, but in my shoulder and thigh muscles. It's not constant, it comes and goes.

I tend to err on the side of caution, since I found I have a neurological condition that might have been diagnosed earlier had I mentioned the tiny symptoms I had. Therefore, I'd suggest you mention it to your doctor.

Kirk, I'm visiting my neurologist tomorrow re: my epilepsy. So I will mention it to him - I've got a lot of tests & scans coming up in the next couple of months anyway, to determine if I'm a candidate for epilepsy surgery.

It could just be that the frequency of my seizures lately have strained and exhausted some of my muscles. I'm not having any actual pain or loss of circulation (leg falling asleep, etc). So I'm thinking my posture can't have become too bad.

Ah, if you have epilepsy, that could explain it. Interestingly, meditation is an anti-epileptic.

That's what got me started practising zazen, back in the day.

Though I wasn't taught anything about its effects on epilepsy specifically, the course was for people with various chronic illnesses. I think my shakiness probably was due to some muscle strain - I've since had bruises come up behind my shoulder blades and across my lower ribs. Just from the violent contortions associated with a grand mal event, I didn't fall.

I would make you a bet that the humming or ringing is there all along, but only presents itself in the surrounding quiet of the room and quiet of your head during Zazen. I am not a doctor (I only play one on TV), but you may want to get your hearing checked if there is a serious concern about Tinnitus or the like (runs in my family). I would bet that most people have some ringing, but don't hear it often due to all the noise around them and in their minds.

By the way, all manner of sensations of each of the senses can sometimes become magnified in Zazen for the same reason ... including taste. Sometimes, after Zazen, if I maintain the same quiet, I swear that I can taste each of the 8 vegetables in a can of V-8 vegetable juice, see a bug crawl with tremendous detail across the room, and the like. Just some more of my magic powers. (Actually, each is nice, and some of it quite pleasant, but just a side-show to our Practice).

There's nothing to be lost in visiting a doctor - ringing in the ears can be an early warning of hearing damage (like from turning your iPod up too high), or just wax accumulation... or other things I don't know about.

My guess though, is that the hum is just your pulse or the sound of blood flowing through your veins. Or some similar noise that the brain tends to unconsciously filter out.

By the way, all manner of sensations of each of the senses can sometimes become magnified in Zazen for the same reason ... including taste.

Yes, definitely. I recently ate a few pieces of candied ginger (one of my more tenacious attachments) shortly before Zazen. Under normal circumstances, I'm aware of a spicy taste in my mouth for just a minute or two afterwards, but during Zazen that day the taste and my watering mouth just lingered on and on and on... I won't be doing that again.